Patrick Stewart Reiterates His Support For Gay Rights

Actor Patrick Stewart says people are
incorrect to assume that because he supports the right of a couple to
refuse to make a pro-gay marriage cake that he's opposed to gay
rights.

The Equality Commission for Northern
Ireland (ECNI) last week fined the Ashers Baking Company £500
for refusing to make a cake featuring Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie
with the caption “Support Gay Marriage” and the logo for
QueerSpace, a Belfast-based LGBT rights group. Currently, gay
couples cannot marry in Northern Ireland.

Appearing
on BBC's Newsnight,
Stewart defended the owners – Colin and Karen McArthur, who plan to
appeal the ruling – saying that he backs their right “to say no.”

“It
was not because this was a gay couple that they objected. It was not
because they were going to be celebrating some kind of marriage or
agreement between them. It was the actual words on the cake that
they objected to,” Stewart
said.

“They
found them offensive. I would support their right to say 'no, this
is personally offensive to my beliefs and I will not do it.' I felt
bad for them that it cost them 600 quid, or whatever,” he added.

In
a Facebook post, an angry Stewart responded to criticism of his
support for the McArthurs.

“As
part of my advocacy for Amnesty International, I gave an interview on
a number of subjects related to human rights, civil rights and
freedom of speech,” Stewart explained. “During the interview, I
was asked about the Irish bakers who refused to put a message on a
cake which supported marriage equality, because of their beliefs. In
my view, this particular matter was not about discrimination, but
rather personal freedoms and what constitutes them, including the
freedom to object. Both equality and freedom of speech are
fundamental rights – and this case underscores how we need to
ensure one isn't compromised in the pursuit of the other. I know
many disagree with my sentiments, including the courts. I respect
and understand their position, especially in this important climate
where the tides of prejudices and inequality are (thankfully)
turning.”

“What
I cannot respect is that some have conflated my position on this
single matter to assume I'm anti-equality or that I share the
personal beliefs of the bakers. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could
be further from the truth. I have long championed the rights of the
LGBT community, because equality should not only be, as the people of
Ireland powerfully showed the world, universally embraced, but
treasured.”